The Speed of Dark
by Painful Pretty Things
Summary: A good, short first chapter (not finished). Jessie and James are caught up in someone else's battle with alarming results. Not your average TR romance


It was quite obvious Jessie was having a nightmare, he thought. She was tossing around in her sleeping bag, moaning softly. It wasn't the first night she acted like this, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Every morning for the past week, she woke up sweaty and shaken, convinced that someone was coming for them.  
"Seth!" she shrieked, suddenly waking up. She panted softly for a second, looking around her with wide, terrified eyes.  
"It's OK, Jess," James whispered softly. "You were dreaming again."  
Jessie squinted hard for a second. "Do you hear that?"  
"Hear what?"  
"A knife," she whispered. "Someone's cutting something."  
"You're just dreaming-" James insisted, but Jessie stood up and pulled on some sweatpants and a shirt.  
"I'm going outside." She unzipped the tent flap and looked around. She could still hear the noise, but wasn't sure where it was coming from.  
Jessie leaned over and pulled a few small rocks out of the mud, more for the security of being "armed" than any actual protection. Sliding them into her jean pocket, she forced herself to the other side of the tent, teeth clenched, hands shaking.  
What was waiting for Jessie on the other side of the tent was the last thing she expected. Kneeling by their backpack was a young woman with a knife in hand. She was slicing through their locked bags (judging by her disheveled appearance, probably in search of food). When she saw Jessie, she immediately jumped up, holding the knife in defense.  
Seeing that it was only a teenager, the woman stepped back. "Sorry," she said, stepping back and slipping the knife into her pocket. "Can't be too careful out here in the woods."  
Jessie stared. "Careful? You're stealing our food."  
The woman brushed a matted lock of hair out of her eyes. She wasn't much older than Jessie, a year or two at most. Her hair was a similar red, slightly darker, but it was tied back tightly with the exception of overgrown bangs on the side. "I can fix the bags-"  
"We barely have enough to last two days! What would we do if you ran off with it? Miles from civilization-"  
The woman smiled slightly. "You're lost, aren't you?"  
Jessie glared. "We'll manage."  
"Well, since you brought it up," she responded, pointing north, "you aren't miles from anywhere; you're about a day's walk from the main road, so I wouldn't worry about your supplies too much.  
"In that case." She gestured towards the bag. "Just a handful. It's all I need."  
Jessie was about to object when the voice of her companion interrupted her. "Jessie? What's going on?" James emerged from the other side of the tent, wearing sweat pants and an oversized T-shirt. His eyes traveled from Jessie to the torn bags to the red-haired lady. "Who are-"  
"Just a traveler," the woman cut in hurriedly. She clearly wanted as few people involved as possible. "Sorry about the backpacks. I'll leave."  
"Wait!" James shouted. Jessie nodded her approval to herself. No one robs us and gets away with it.  
"Do you. need something to eat?" he asked. "We've got plenty."  
Jessie stared. "James, I don't think you realize-"  
"It's nothing if you want to stay for breakfast," he said, cutting her off. "Nothing at all."  
The woman looked suspiciously at them. "Who are you two, anyway?"  
James walked up to Jessie and put a hand on her shoulder, as if he was trying to stop her from going into a full-blown motto. "My name's James and this is my partner, Jessie."  
"I'm Monica." She held out a hand, and Seth took it, despite the visible disgust on Jessie's face.  
"Monica, can I have a minute to talk to my partner?" Jessie grabbed James's sleeve and dragged him aside. "What the heck are you doing?" she hissed. "She's a robber!"  
"So are we. That's kind of hypocritical."  
Jessie held a hand against her mouth to keep from screaming aloud, then continued. "Why are you offering food to someone who was trying to steal it from us?"  
"We need a guide, don't we? Maybe- hey, Monica!" he shouted over Jessie's shoulder. "Where are you going?"  
"Viridian. But I've got to find the road first."  
"Great. We're going that way, too." James smiled at his partner. "See? As soon as we get back on the road, we can leave her and get back on the job. It's perfect."  
"Yeah," Jessie echoed sullenly. "Perfect."  
***  
"Sir, our scouts have successfully located James and Jessie."  
Giovanni looked up from his desk at the messenger. "Oh really? Where are they?"  
"Several miles northwest of Viridian. We think they're lost," the scout replied.  
"Imagine that," Giovanni muttered. "Anything else?"  
"Well, sir, they're not alone," the scout said tentatively. "They've got another person with them."  
"Anyone important?" Giovanni wasn't concerned. The woods were probably full of lost travelers and homeless people.  
"We think - I could be wrong of course," he added nervously, "but it looks so much like her."  
"Who is it?"  
The scout swallowed. "We think it's Monica Fletcher."  
Giovanni's face paled. "That can't be right." He composed himself quickly. "Very well, then. Assemble a very capable team to go out there and locate them. I don't care what it takes, kill them both if you have too, but I want her back here alive."  
The scouted nodded. "Yes, sir."  
"You're life's on the line if you fail this mission, you know," Giovanni called after him.  
That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and you plan on keeping up with this. 


End file.
